Where Are the Legal Leaders We Need? ft. Nicole Lester Arrindell

September 24, 2026 Adrian Cea

Leadership in law is often treated like something that comes after the promotion, after the title or after someone hands you a team and assumes you magically know what to do with them. Nicole Lester Arrindell sees it differently.

In this episode of Between the Briefs, Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens sit down with Nicole, Head of State Regulatory and Legislative Affairs and Associate General Counsel at Equitable, for a wide-ranging conversation on servant leadership, legal education, public service, in-house counsel, mentorship, and what it actually means to lead in the legal profession.

What You'll Learn:

Why leadership is not about a title, but about how you show up in any role
How Nicole’s South Side Chicago upbringing shaped her commitment to service
Why the people closest to the issue often understand it better than anyone else
How in-house lawyers can become business partners instead of the “department of no”
Why “soft skills” should be treated as core legal skills
What law schools should teach about client relationships, team management, and communication
Why students need to practice presenting ideas, even if they never plan to litigate

This episode is a reminder that legal excellence is more about judgment, empathy, communication, influence and the ability to help people get where they are trying to go, than about sheer knowledge.

Want to watch this episode of Between the Briefs instead? Get the full video on YouTube.

About the Contributors

Adrian Cea

Adrian Cea is Steno's Social Media Manager, leading content strategy, audience engagement, and digital brand-building across platforms. He also produces and co-hosts Between the Briefs, Steno's podcast covering the intersection of legal technology, court reporting, and the future of litigation. With a background spanning content creation, field marketing, and sales at companies like Sell Better and Chili Piper, Adrian brings a multi-disciplined lens to making complex legal tech topics accessible and engaging.

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Joe Stephens

Joe Stephens, J.D., is Steno's Director of Legal Solutions as well as a Clinical Lecturer at Texas Tech University School of Law. With over 15 years of experience in criminal defense and public service, he founded and led Texas' largest rural public defender office, which serves a 12-county area. A graduate of The University of Texas School of Law (cum laude) and Vanderbilt University (B.A.), Stephens currently serves as a Board Member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association (TCDLA) and sits on multiple State Bar of Texas committees. His expertise spans the intersection of legal practice and technological innovation in the justice system.

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